Was just reminded of this painting as we passed by several market vendors in Zambales two days ago. What fruits to buy when you’re in a Philippine marketplace? Filipino Painter and National Artist Fernando Amorsolo gives us an idea in this painting he entitled “Fruit Vendor” he did in 1961.  Never miss the mangoes (Philippine mangoes are the sweetest in the world), watermelons, bananas (of different kinds like Lacatan, Latundan, and Señoritas).  *Source of photo from Frazer Fine Art.
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Was just reminded of this painting as we passed by several market vendors in Zambales two days ago. What fruits to buy when you’re in a Philippine marketplace? Filipino Painter and National Artist Fernando Amorsolo gives us an idea in this painting he entitled “Fruit Vendor” he did in 1961. 

Never miss the mangoes (Philippine mangoes are the sweetest in the world), watermelons, bananas (of different kinds like Lacatan, Latundan, and Señoritas). 

*Source of photo from Frazer Fine Art.

Show these people that you are brave. It is a rare opportunity for me to die for our country. Not everybody is given that chance.
Jose Abad Santos (1886-1942), was the fifth Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines and was appointed by Manuel Quezon as the Acting President of the Philippines when Quezon and the staff had to leave for the United States to establish the Philippine government in exile. The Japanese proceeded in the invasion of the Philippines beginning on December 1941. Santos was later on executed by the Japanese on May 2, 1942, after saying the words above to his son, Pepito. 

While the Filipino and American forces struggled to hold their positions in Bataan from January to April 1942 in the defense of the Philippines against the Japanese invasion, they were subjected to the heat of the sun, hunger and incessant attacks from the Imperial Japanese soldiers. But the attack was not only physical but psychological and ideological as well.

Here is one flier I found at the archival collections of Jorge Vargas. It’s one of those fliers the Imperial Japanese threw at the Filipino and American soldiers holding the lines in Bataan at the time. It contains the best summary of the logic behind the Japanese propaganda called the “Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere.” Using their knowledge of Philippine history, the Japanese would use the familiar but somehow truthful rhetoric of European and American imperialism in Asia and its effect on the still-born Philippine independence of June 1898. While we do not deny the evils of colonization and imperialism in Asia done by Western powers,  we should also not deny that many have also ridden the bandwagon of a “unified Asia” or the “Asia for the Asians” for their own ends. Anyone advocating a concept of a ‘unified Asia’ against the ‘West’ should take heed of this history lesson. The world is not as simple as dividing its hemispheres of East vs. West, of ‘us’ versus ‘them.’ Especially in the historical context of the Philippines. There are extremes to avoid. There are dichotomies too simplistic to be real. 

By fighting the oppressors, the Empire of Japan (of the early 20th century) had become an oppressor itself. And the Philippines was caught in the middle.

Everyday, on my way to work, I ready myself.

I ride the jeepney. The train.

I breathe the dirt, see the scenes, both the good and the ugly, the stink of horse urine and the silence of centuries-old walls. A paradox of the historical, the beautiful, the nostalgia, of beautiful buildings, of old ones, and yes, even the deplorable.

These are the scenes where I think of ideas, where I hum a song, where God would suddenly jump in and talk (getting me teary-eyed as people would wonder why). Here is a beautiful short glimpse of life in Manila. Still my Pearl of the Orient. 

Thank you for capturing a very personal experience for ManileÑos through this media @PepeDiokno! You’re a genius. 

The Spanish Senate commissioned the award-winning painter Juan Luna to do a painting of the Battle of Lepanto, thanks to the influence of King Alfonso XII of Spain. One would wonder, if Luna had connections with the Spanish royalty, did he ever mention the aspirations of the Ilustrados for equality and for a Philippine representation in the Spanish Cortes to the Spanish king? Or was he complacent like some Ilustrados? Curious. The Battle of Lepanto was fought by Spanish and Ottoman forces on October 7, 1571 (five decades after Magellan landed on the Philippine shores). A clash of worldviews and cannons.  pupuplatter: Juan Luna, Combate Naval de Lepanto (7 de Octubre de 1571), 1887, Palacio del Senado de España
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The Spanish Senate commissioned the award-winning painter Juan Luna to do a painting of the Battle of Lepanto, thanks to the influence of King Alfonso XII of Spain. One would wonder, if Luna had connections with the Spanish royalty, did he ever mention the aspirations of the Ilustrados for equality and for a Philippine representation in the Spanish Cortes to the Spanish king? Or was he complacent like some Ilustrados? Curious.

The Battle of Lepanto was fought by Spanish and Ottoman forces on October 7, 1571 (five decades after Magellan landed on the Philippine shores). A clash of worldviews and cannons. 

pupuplatter:

Juan Luna, Combate Naval de Lepanto (7 de Octubre de 1571), 1887, Palacio del Senado de España

Today we remember the surrender of the 70,000 Filipino and American soldiers (87% were Filipinos) against the hegemon that was the Empire of Japan. From December 1941 to April 1942, the Philippine forces valiantly held out in Bataan amidst impossible odds against the attacks of the overwhelming Japanese forces and with their backs on the sea. Famine, illnesses, fatigue, and a lot of casualties took toll on the troops. Bataan peninsula witnessed the heroism of individuals from all over the archipelago, laying down their lives for freedom. My very own grandfather was a member of the 14th Engineers Regiment of the prestigious Philippine Scouts tasked to build bridges, trenches and prepare defense lines for efficient retreat and offense. He died on April 6, a mere three days before the surrender of Bataan, showing the great casualties suffered by the troops on the days leading to April 9th, 1942. From the Malinta Tunnel at Corregidor would be heard the sad announcement on that fateful day through the radio program “Voice of Freedom”: Bataan has fallen. The Philippine-American troops on this war-ravaged and bloodstained peninsula have laid down their arms. With heads bloody but unbowed, they have yielded to the superior force and numbers of the enemy. The world will long remember the epic struggle that Filipino and American soldiers put up in the jungle fastness and along the rugged coast of Bataan. They have stood up uncomplaining under the constant and grueling fire of the enemy for more than three months. Besieged on land and blockaded by sea, cut off from all sources of help in the Philippines and in America, the intrepid fighters have done all that human endurance could bear. For what sustained them through all these months of incessant battle was a force that was more than merely physical. It was the force of an unconquerable faith—something in the heart and soul that physical hardship and adversity could not destroy! It was the thought of native land and all that it holds most dear, the thought of freedom and dignity and pride in these most priceless of all our human prerogatives. The adversary, in the pride of his power and triumph, will credit our troops with nothing less than the courage and fortitude that his own troops have shown in battle. Our men have fought a brave and bitterly contested struggle. All the world will testify to the most superhuman endurance with which they stood up until the last in the face of overwhelming odds. But the decision had to come. Men fighting under the banner of unshakable faith are made of something more than flesh, but they are not made of impervious steel. The flesh must yield at last, endurance melts away, and the end of the battle must come. Bataan has fallen, but the spirit that made it stand—a beacon to all the liberty-loving peoples of the world—cannot fall! If not for their sacrifice, the Japanese invasion plan would have been fully implemented as scheduled and it would have been difficult to stop the Japanese from conquering Australia, thus compromising the Allied offensive which was done in 1945. Thank God for our heroes. And as we remember those who have fallen, we must also remind ourselves that even Death itself is a defeated enemy. Here are some posts related to this part of Philippine History. — To remember those who have fallen — In commemoration of the Fall of Corregidor — Olympics and the Philippines: The Filipino Pioneers — Visiting the Pacific War Memorial — Coconut Fiber helmet of the Philippine Constabulary
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Today we remember the surrender of the 70,000 Filipino and American soldiers (87% were Filipinos) against the hegemon that was the Empire of Japan. From December 1941 to April 1942, the Philippine forces valiantly held out in Bataan amidst impossible odds against the attacks of the overwhelming Japanese forces and with their backs on the sea. Famine, illnesses, fatigue, and a lot of casualties took toll on the troops. Bataan peninsula witnessed the heroism of individuals from all over the archipelago, laying down their lives for freedom. My very own grandfather was a member of the 14th Engineers Regiment of the prestigious Philippine Scouts tasked to build bridges, trenches and prepare defense lines for efficient retreat and offense. He died on April 6, a mere three days before the surrender of Bataan, showing the great casualties suffered by the troops on the days leading to April 9th, 1942. From the Malinta Tunnel at Corregidor would be heard the sad announcement on that fateful day through the radio program “Voice of Freedom”:

Bataan has fallen. The Philippine-American troops on this war-ravaged and bloodstained peninsula have laid down their arms. With heads bloody but unbowed, they have yielded to the superior force and numbers of the enemy.

The world will long remember the epic struggle that Filipino and American soldiers put up in the jungle fastness and along the rugged coast of Bataan. They have stood up uncomplaining under the constant and grueling fire of the enemy for more than three months. Besieged on land and blockaded by sea, cut off from all sources of help in the Philippines and in America, the intrepid fighters have done all that human endurance could bear.

For what sustained them through all these months of incessant battle was a force that was more than merely physical. It was the force of an unconquerable faith—something in the heart and soul that physical hardship and adversity could not destroy! It was the thought of native land and all that it holds most dear, the thought of freedom and dignity and pride in these most priceless of all our human prerogatives.

The adversary, in the pride of his power and triumph, will credit our troops with nothing less than the courage and fortitude that his own troops have shown in battle. Our men have fought a brave and bitterly contested struggle. All the world will testify to the most superhuman endurance with which they stood up until the last in the face of overwhelming odds.

But the decision had to come. Men fighting under the banner of unshakable faith are made of something more than flesh, but they are not made of impervious steel. The flesh must yield at last, endurance melts away, and the end of the battle must come.

Bataan has fallen, but the spirit that made it stand—a beacon to all the liberty-loving peoples of the world—cannot fall!
If not for their sacrifice, the Japanese invasion plan would have been fully implemented as scheduled and it would have been difficult to stop the Japanese from conquering Australia, thus compromising the Allied offensive which was done in 1945.

Thank God for our heroes. And as we remember those who have fallen, we must also remind ourselves that even Death itself is a defeated enemy.

Here are some posts related to this part of Philippine History.

— To remember those who have fallen

— In commemoration of the Fall of Corregidor

— Olympics and the Philippines: The Filipino Pioneers

— Visiting the Pacific War Memorial

— Coconut Fiber helmet of the Philippine Constabulary
εν τουτω εστιν η αγαπη ουχ οτι ημεις ηγαπησαμεν τον θεον αλλ οτι αυτος ηγαπησεν ημας και απεστειλεν τον υιον αυτου ιλασμον περι των αμαρτιων ημων

1 John 4:10 in the original manuscript (Majority Text)

In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

In the original Koine Greek language (the entire New Testament of the Christian Scriptures was written in this street/vernacular language), the words that should strike us in this excerpt are the words (ἀγάπη) ‘agape’ and (ἱλασμὸν) ‘hilasmon.’

Hilasmon or Propitiation means the turning away of God’s ‘wrath’ or ‘galit’ in Tagalog, away from us. The mere mention of this divine wrath, which may turn off any modern reader, is not an unjustified emotion gone berserk. It is the divine’s demand for justice. Like when someone kills a loved one, you would strongly feel the demand for justice for the sake of the victim. 

The Infinite Divine, implicit in this verse, who is infinitely pure, good and infinitely worthy, the ultimate source of all human happiness—was offended by us. A theologian, John Piper, puts it this way:

We glorify what we enjoy the most. And it isn’t God.

The seriousness of an insult rises with the dignity of the one insulted. The Creator of the universe is infinitely worthy of respect and admiration and loyalty. Therefore failure to love him is not trivial—it’s treason. It defames God and destroys human happiness. 

But the genius of the Cross, according to this verse, is that the justice of God and the love of God meet and become one. When the ‘Son’ came to die, he became a propitiation. It means because of the Son, God’s wrath has turned to the Son, and away from us. At the same time, the Son’s ‘righteousness’ or ‘purity’ was imputed or transferred to us. Thus, all who believe in the Son are rendered ‘blameless’ before God. (Jude 1:24).

In effect because of our inability, God himself answered all the demands of his own justice. And the writer calls this surprisingly as ‘agape’, a Greek-nuanced word not usually used during those times. For it means ‘Love without attachments’ or more perfectly rendered in English as ‘Unconditional Love.’ It is a love given not because of anything we did or would do but ultimately because of the will of the Giver. 

Thus, once agape is given, the receiver cannot subtract or add to it. It would be illogical. After what the Son did through the cross, there is nothing we can do to make this Infinite Divine love us more. Because by definition, that love is [hold your breath]…. unconditional.

Just a small snippet to an ad fontes moment (back to the primary source) to give us Filipinos clarity amidst unnecessary rituals, eeky annual crucifixions and funny/absurd superstitions this coming week. 

Isang mapagpalaya at maligayang Holy Week sa ating lahat!

(We dare not be gloomy. And please don’t hesitate to take a bath.)

First Battle of Bud Dajo The photo above has a lot of history. Grim and forgotten. But it haunts us to this day. 107 years ago, the Tausugs of Sulu fought fiercely against another nation that tried to wrest their sovereignty from them, the United States. They fought the American soldiers who were well-armed with rifles. The Tausugs were only armed with their kris and spears. In the early years of the American colonization in the Philippines, the Muslims of southern Philippines (called Moros) were the most formidable force unassailed in the south and had remained resolute in refusing the sovereignty of the United States on their islands. For them, to pay taxes to the U.S. Government was ‘blasphemy’ since this was their land. Bud Dajo, a mountain a few miles away from Jolo, Sulu, took centerstage as it became a stronghold of the Moros (or to be specific, the ethnic group called Tausug) who would not surrender. It has been the tradition of the Tausugs to show their protest by going to the mountains where no authority could impose on them. However, the Americans, who wanted to take the whole archipelago, saw it as uncontrollable, in that from March 5 to 8, 1906, the American soldiers surrounded Bud Dajo and attacked (more correctly termed ‘massacred’) an estimated 850 Tausugs. According to Robert Fulton, two thirds of those killed were women and children. It wouldn’t be long until the photo above was released to the American media hearkened by the American group Anti-Imperialist League (of which the renowned American anti-imperialist author Mark Twain was a member). Unfortunately the events at Bud Dajo was eventually forgotten (it was election time), and the American governor of the Moro Province at the time who was in charge of the ‘pacification’, Gen. Leonard Wood, was eventually appointed as the American Governor-General of the Philippines, the major obstacle to Filipinization of the leadership of the country. Wood was also a source of headache for the Independence Mission led by Manuel L. Quezon, Sergio Osmena and Manuel Roxas, as they lobbied for Philippine independence in the U.S. Senate. Perhaps it is disturbing enough that the photo was scandalizing and inhumane. But more disturbing is the fact that many Filipinos do not know this as part of Philippine history. It would not be a surprise that the Sabah issue would escalate and be mishandled.  But more on that soon. (after I finish this history paper. ugh) *Photo above came from Robert Fulton’s excellent site on the Moros, MoroLandHistory.com
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First Battle of Bud Dajo

The photo above has a lot of history. Grim and forgotten. But it haunts us to this day.

107 years ago, the Tausugs of Sulu fought fiercely against another nation that tried to wrest their sovereignty from them, the United States. They fought the American soldiers who were well-armed with rifles. The Tausugs were only armed with their kris and spears.

In the early years of the American colonization in the Philippines, the Muslims of southern Philippines (called Moros) were the most formidable force unassailed in the south and had remained resolute in refusing the sovereignty of the United States on their islands. For them, to pay taxes to the U.S. Government was ‘blasphemy’ since this was their land. Bud Dajo, a mountain a few miles away from Jolo, Sulu, took centerstage as it became a stronghold of the Moros (or to be specific, the ethnic group called Tausug) who would not surrender. It has been the tradition of the Tausugs to show their protest by going to the mountains where no authority could impose on them. However, the Americans, who wanted to take the whole archipelago, saw it as uncontrollable, in that from March 5 to 8, 1906, the American soldiers surrounded Bud Dajo and attacked (more correctly termed ‘massacred’) an estimated 850 Tausugs. According to Robert Fulton, two thirds of those killed were women and children. It wouldn’t be long until the photo above was released to the American media hearkened by the American group Anti-Imperialist League (of which the renowned American anti-imperialist author Mark Twain was a member). Unfortunately the events at Bud Dajo was eventually forgotten (it was election time), and the American governor of the Moro Province at the time who was in charge of the ‘pacification’, Gen. Leonard Wood, was eventually appointed as the American Governor-General of the Philippines, the major obstacle to Filipinization of the leadership of the country. Wood was also a source of headache for the Independence Mission led by Manuel L. Quezon, Sergio Osmena and Manuel Roxas, as they lobbied for Philippine independence in the U.S. Senate.

Perhaps it is disturbing enough that the photo was scandalizing and inhumane. But more disturbing is the fact that many Filipinos do not know this as part of Philippine history. It would not be a surprise that the Sabah issue would escalate and be mishandled. 

But more on that soon.

(after I finish this history paper. ugh)

*Photo above came from Robert Fulton’s excellent site on the Moros, MoroLandHistory.com